Re: RFC: Starting a stable kernel series off the 2.6 kernel

Horst von Brand
2005-12-04T01:57:28Z

Matthias Andree <matthias.andree@gmx.de> wrote:
> On Sat, 03 Dec 2005, David Ranson wrote:
> > Adrian Bunk wrote:
> >
> > >- support for ipfwadm and ipchains was removed during 2.6

> > Surely this one had loads of notice though? I was using iptables with
> > 2.4 kernels.

Sure had. They were scheduled for removal in march, 2005 a long time ago.

> So was I. And now what? ipfwadm and ipchains should have been removed
> from 2.6.0 if 2.6.0 was not to support these.

Or in 2.6.10, or 2.6.27, or whatever.

> That opportunity was
> missed, the removal wasn't made up for in 2.6.1, so the stuff has to
> stick until 2.8.0.

Sorry, but the new development model is that there is no "uneven" series
anymore. Sure, it /might/ open for worldshattering changes, but nothing of
that sort is remotely in sight right now, so...

> > >- devfs support was removed during 2.6
> >
> > Did this affect many 'real' users?

> This doesn't matter. A kernel that calls itself stable CAN NOT remove
> features unless they had been critically broken from the beginning. And
> this level of breakage is a moot point, so removal is not justified.

devfs was broken, and very little used.

> > >- removal of kernel support for pcmcia-cs is pending
> > >- ip{,6}_queue removal is pending
> > >- removal of the RAW driver is pending
>
> > I don't use any of these. I guess pcmcia-cs may be disruptive for laptop
> > users.

> Who cares what you or I use? It's a commonly acknowledged policy that
> "stable" releases do not remove features that are good enough for some.

Right, for a suitably large set of "some". If the set is too small...

> Linux 2.6 is not "stable" in this regard.

Right. The idea of "stable series" had to go. And went.
--
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